Social Entrepreneur Recipient Examines Business Role In Addressing Societal Issues

Cambridge, Mass. (January 19, 2015)– Sproxil®, Inc., a leading provider of world-class brand protection, is proud to announce Founder and CEO Ashifi Gogo has been selected to present at the 45th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland this week. Dr. Gogo will be one of five featured speakers in the highly anticipated Open Forum Session “Should Business Lead the Social Agenda” slated for Friday, January 23, 18:30 – 20:00. The prestigious invitation to participate in the Annual Meeting is due in part to the Schwab Foundation recognizing Dr. Gogo as one of 37 recipients of the 2014 Social Entrepreneur of the Year honor.

According to the Meeting syllabus, the Open Forum Dr. Gogo is participating in examines how “Businesses play an increasingly important role in the global system, and face growing pressure from millennial consumers and employees to align core operations with social impact. Can businesses help to find a solution to global challenges, and should these challenges really be tackled by businesses?”

Dr. Gogo is the primary inventor of Sproxil’s flagship solution, Mobile Product Authentication™ (MPA™), which allows consumers to verify that products they buy are genuine by using a mobile phone and a simple, free text message. The solution uses a scratch card method, similar to that used for replenishing cellular talk-time. This allows users to reveal a one-time-use code on products and text the code to a call center phone number. A response is dispatched from Sproxil, indicating whether the product is genuine, potentially fake, or stolen.

Leading pharmaceutical companies, such as Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Serono, IPCA as well as regulatory organizations in the emerging markets of Africa and India have been leveraging the MPA solution to protect consumers from taking potentially harmful counterfeit and substandard medications since the company launched in 2009. To date, the MPA solution has been used more than 14 million times to verify that products are genuine.

The MPA solution can be used to verify any tangible item, and Sproxil’s solution is currently being implemented and used for products across multiple industries including skin care, supplements and vitamins, electrical cabling, automotive and motorcycle parts and agro-business, to name a few.

Over 40 heads of state and government, as well as 2,500 other leaders from business and society will convene at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting to discussThe New Global Context.

“It’s an honor to be invited to participate in the Open Forum discussion about the critical role businesses play in the Social Agenda, as well as being recognized as a Social Entrepreneur, joining a list of recipients that are dedicated to making positive, powerful differences in the world,” states Dr. Gogo. “It not only recognizes Sproxil’s work to combat counterfeit products, but also helps us gain recognition beyond the countries we currently operate in, so we can have a greater impact in regions most vulnerable to counterfeiting.”

“Each year the Davos Meeting brings together top political and business leaders from around the world to address critical global challenges. I am honored to join the dialogue,” he continued.